@Lewis1122 - Shalom Lewis

Lewis: ...since we agree Paul was a practitioner of the
Torah, why did the Jews hate him? Was it because his words supported
Jesus as the Christ which the Pharisees had caused to be crucified, they
either would of had to accept the blame or deny Paul? ...

JoA: Rav Paul was a rabbi among rabbis (a Pharisee among Pharisees). He was the personal student of the great Gamaliel, chief of the rabbis, and he was making the case for Rebbe Y'shua based on Jewish Scripture and tradition. They could ignore the views of fishermen but Paul was an expert in Torah and he made his case firmly and succinctly. This is why he was hated. Since what Rav Paul claimed was correct, he was finally silenced.

The Pharisees rejected Rebbe Y'shua's reforms largely because he threatened their temporal authority over the people and their relationship with Roma, and even more they rejected his claim to be HaMoshiach. However they did not cause him to be impaled. That decision was made by the Romans alone.  Jews have no guilt in that.

Lewis: ...Paul states in several places that Jesus is
the Messiah; because of his dedication to the Torah shouldn’t that be
proof that if he accepted Jesus as the Messiah other practitioners of
the Torah should also? ...

JoA: Rav Paul, an up and coming young rabbi, was one of many knowledgeable rabbis who accepted Y'shua's claims, however there were also many who did not. No single rabbi has the authority to make such a determination. Halakha is determined by the majority of the rabbis and most did not accept him.

Unlike Hillel and similar reformers Rebbe Y'shua went to the common people to make his case rather than to the leaders. He was very harsh about orthodox excesses and hypocrisies. This is not the way to win friends and influence people. The rabbis asked for his plans and time table according to the New Testament so they were obviously taking him seriously, however, he said to pay Caesar's things to Caesar, to not take up swords against the enemies; over and over his words indicated that he would not be fulfilling the Messianic prophecies (and indeed he didn't). Indeed, look how he edits this important Messianic prophecy:

Rebbe Y'shua's Interesting Omission

One Shabbat, shortly after beginning his three and a half year
ministry, Rebbe Y'shua entered his home synagogue in Nazareth. As is the
tradition, he stood to do a Torah reading. This reading is recorded at
Luke 4:16-20. Our Rebbe read from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. Read
the quote in the New Testament first, and then read the source text in
Isaiah. See if you notice anything different. This is a good research
exercise. One must not make assumptions about what texts say. See if you
see the difference in the two readings before continuing with the
explanation below. Much confusion comes when people fail not only to
consider the context but in many cases what the texts actually say. This
study error is disturbingly common. We must not allow ourselves to "go
on auto pilot" when reading the Word.

Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of ADONAI is
upon me; therefore he has anointed me to announce Good News to the poor;
he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned and renewed sight
for the blind, to release those who have been crushed,

19 to proclaim a year of the favor of ADONAI."

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of Adonai ELOHIM is
upon me, because ADONAI has anointed me to announce good news to the
poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to
the captives, to let out into light those bound in the dark;

2 to proclaim the year of the favor of ADONAI and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.

See anything interesting?

Rebbe Yeshua did not quote the entire verse! He omitted Isaiah's ending: "and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn...."

Had the rabbis accepted him and had he not lead them in battle against Rome it would have been suicidal for the Jewish people. Even worse, had he lead them but not by the anointing of HaShem! Of course.... little did they know that the events of 70 CE lay in their future...  Their rejection was understandable even if misguided.

The rabbis desperately wanted the Messiah but they failed to recognize John and Y'shua for who they were.

Lewis: ... If there was enough proof for Paul a
dedicated practitioner of the Torah to believe Jesus was the Christ
shouldn’t that mean there was enough proof?...

JoA: There wasn't enough proof for Paul. Y'shua was gone and he was arresting the Jewish followers on charge of blasphemy. It was not until his vision that Paul came to the realization. He didn't accept Y'shua on the prophecies alone. There was enough to make the argument but no enough to confirm it.

Lewis: ...So it would seem those that deny Jesus is the Messiah deny Paul’s teachings...

JoA: For sure. When Jews begin talking about Y'shua Paul always quickly comes up. Those that reject Y'shua generally place the blame on Paul above all else.

We know from Romans 11 that this entire thing occurred for God's greater purposes, although that is not always easy to comprehend. As Paul says, through this path HaShem has proven that neither the Jews nor the Gentiles are worthy of His Grace and hence there is no room for boasting by ANYONE. Judaism, like any other religion, is made up on fallible humans. Most are not scholars, most are just good people trying to get along in the world. In the end, HaShem shows mercy to whom He shows mercy and withholds it from those from whom He withholds it.

Peace, Love and Light

@Lewis1122 - I don't see it as either. Y'shua did not establish a new religion. He was a devout and Torah observant Jew.

Upon the "rock" of what was said Y'shua would renew Judaism through his disciples.

Lewis: ..Are you saying Paul knew who Christ was not
by prophecy but by revelation? That would support what I stated above
about the church being built upon revelation which supports it being
built upon faith....

More or less. Rav Paul was very learned. He knew what had happened in Jerusalem and was not convinced until he was knocked off his mount. The difference is, neither Rebbe Y'shua nor his followers established the Church. It was established by the Romans. Rebbe Y'shua established the New Covenant but it was rejected by both the rabbis and the Church that emerged later.
Lewish:
Do the rabbis still decide based upon the
majority when it comes to spiritual discernment? Since more shall be
lost than saved going with the masses to me would seem the wrong way.

JoA: Not much new Halakha is established anymore. We rely on the Shulcan Aruch and the sages for the most part. When new decisions are made now they usually come through one of the movements and are generally only accepted by the members of that movement, although Orthodox rulings are given a lot of extra weight. These ruling are arrived at after a huge amount of study, prayer and discussion.

Lewis:
I think that is the first time I ever heard
any one say that the Jews were not responsible. The parable in Matt 21
Matt 26 Matt 27 Luke 22 John 19 1 Cor 2 Probably more but these were the
ones I knew.  I believe the people were simply led astray by their
leaders. 

JoA: Really? Its usually only the anti-Semites that I hear blaming the Jews. The gospels are clear on this. At the time of Rebbe Y'shua the Jewish authorities did not have that power.

According to Josephus (Ant. 13:5-14) in 64 BCE King Alexander Jannaeus was once
officiating as cohen gadol during Sukkot when a group of P'rushim
(Pharisees) attacked him with large lemon-like fruit [probably citrons given the
timing]. The tensions had been mounting for years. King Jannaeus responded by forming a deeper alliance with the
Tz'dukim (Sadducees) and having "thousands" of P'rushim executed. The
P'rushim (Pharisees) sought foreign aid but in the end were executed for
treason against the crown. From this time on their power was stripped away from them. They had no legal authority to execute. Wrongly blaming the death of Y'shua on the Jews is an ancient cause of antisemitism and Jewish persecution and death.

Certain of the Jewish authorities went to Romans and turned him as friends of the court. The decision was that of Rome.

The Prophets are clear on what Messiah will accomplish. They do not accept Y'shua as Messiah because these prophecies remain unfilled. Chief among these is that Messiah will rule as Melekh or King of Israel. Here are some of the key Messianic prophecies not yet fulfilled:

<li>Isaiah 2, 11, 42; 59:20 <li>Jeremiah 23, 30, 33; 48:47; 49:39 <li>Ezekiel 38:16 <li>Hosea 3:4-3:5 <li>Micah 4 <li>Zephaniah 3:9 <li>Zechariah 14:9 <li>Daniel 10:14

According to the biblical timeline, the world will be hurled into chaos. A European Jewish leader will arise and establish peace and safety. During this period a Roman leader (the final pope) will establish a global religious and economic power structure ("Babylon the Great") in his honor. The leader will then sign a peace treaty with Israel. During this period Messiah will call forth 144,000 Israelites (and restore the 12 houses) and a great multitude of non-Jews as resistance against the global government. Seven years after this treaty with Israel is signed Messiah will wage the Battle of Armageddon and establish a thousand year reign of peace. After this thousand years, a final war will take place (God of Magog). According to the prophets, after this the world will enter the Olam Haba. Of this period Rav Paul says that 'eye has not see and ear has not heard the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.'

You might be interested in my recent blog about the resignation of Pope Benedict.